Bomb-dropper.



J. H. F. LAFLAMME & O. GRAVEL.

BOMB DROPPER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 4. 19m.

1,231,387. Patented June 26, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

INVENTORS WITNESSES [477277263 BY Omar firm/6L MMVMS WM: ATTQRNEY H. F. LAFLAMME 8L0. GRAVEL.

BOMB DROPPER. APPLICATION FILED APRJ, .1916.

1 ,23 1,387 Patented-June 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET].

. INVENTOR5 WITNESSES Ohwr firm e2 I ATTORNEY ..L lanzme g,

in; F. ELA- rne ME and ofi-i'Qntario and Dominion a I, ,ing is 'a 'specification.

' This nyention as relationto bomb drop- $zinatioin .u -t i of the accompanying draw- 'mvention, from among dfthej'scopelof{theappended claims. However, :object of the 'invention'is to p fl t lbdliib dropping device ,for aero plan w r b stli i e i y forv an P'I' 'eratoryfor the? e'vice is obviated, and means a,

provided forl enabling. the driver of the aero Plans to .t ti'nle;v v,-twithout ;mterfering in any} manner whatsoever ;f'wi th:-;the operationsfincid'ental tothe? controlllof the aeroiilane.

' Anetherobject of the invention is' to provide faibfimbs-fl 'qpping device for aeroplanes tQEYbQ s SQd D'. (Connection? with the type of bombsathpresent employed, by the French GWerhmnt, and means for carrying a plu--T 9 1 ofisaid bombs, and for. releasing the bjoni s fone at a a time, and in consecutive I-Another'object of the invention, is to proexlosion-* thereof.

tionfzcomprehends improvements 'in the detailsffvfoffeonstructions and arrangement of parts, to beiherei'n'after described, and par-' ticularlyfpointed out the appended to claims.-

ingvthe application of our 'invemtion.

Om Gnevrm, i subjects a of the i a esi g t q oi I a e Fig. 4:,fiS- a plan'view or theidevice. -:"Fig, 5,".is a transverse'section. 4 a Fig. 6, isa transverse section through the; flmechanism for producingj'intermittent mo-f tionuof thfe tripping-tchain,..and

Fig (,is a vertcal sect'on on invented {certain new and ents ingBomb-Droppers, of

I L the nature -iand objectsv readily aaglparent" to those t of, the followtratin'g ,what we now believe to preferredemhodiment;ormechanical ithlnifthe spirit of the invenf "krel :-the bombs at the proper.

r angular intcross sectionwith the apextheresj' of extended downwardly. "This frame mem videijin-a device of the character described her 4 may be made of any le'ngth'jdesired, means-for.;l,preventing mutual contact of ad- Jacent tbombs; soas to, preclude premature a transversely extending'cas'ing 9,,the ends Y 1 4 a p 'ture in'one end o f thefcasing and has rigidly ,'F1gure 15g.vis= a view 1n-sidefelevationof a conventional type ""of aeroplane illustrate V Specification of Letters Patent. J 26, Application QQd APFi 4 1Q IBL 'sej ia 'rb. 585381.

. I r p n d i e: strueted litfliel' the manner of our. invention.- F g. 3," is an end elevation thereof. I

ator was necessary therefor, thus entailing an vadditio1 1a'l' weight .in. addition tothe transVersememherS-S; -A main 'frame.meni;' f her 4 is provided which'is substantmllytri 7 but has been illustratedin this instance-as extending from the front .of the aeroplane vrearwardly to a point coincidentpwith the I 'na'ddition td the foregoing our, inveni L Platforms 5 andfiarefformed a-t-"the'frontl a and rear terminals ofthe frame )4- for supg rear edges'oftlie supporting planes. 95

porting bearing brackets- 7- and 8 respectively. The frontbracket-7 is formedwith of which" arecentrally' apertured, one end thereof 10 beingin the,form of a removable v cap.- A sprocket wheel 11 is provided with asleeve 12 whichi'extends' through the "apera 65 While it'ls o'ui' object, to design the'iin- I vention' forpus'e in connection with a 'rparf- ,ticular' type of aerial-bombnit' will 'bej/ap parent as the description "'proceedsthat the; device maybe altered foruse in connection {'70 c with difierent types of bombs. device's" of this kind heretofore known-to. ourselves; no provisionw'as made forcarrying a coma p'aratively,large number of bombs at one .time; norfor disposingall of them at once-75. so as to be instantly available for discharge. Eu'rthermore in devicesiof this character, heretofore; provided, the services ofan operaeroplane operatog and theloss of two lives .-in the 'event thatfmisha'p should overtake, the machine initsfli'ght; a .Proceeding -with the; descriptionjof the.

device, 1 designates an aeroplane, havinglongitudinal frame members 2sconnectedby loo 1.05 mounted thereon-in the interior of; the I easing, a ratchet; wheel :13; a shaft 14 is" mountedwithin the sleeve and after passing through the casing and the removable casing 9, and contiguously disposed with rewheel and are resiliently retained in "such engagement by leaf s'prin'g's, 21.

sides of the bearing"block,-whereby said bearing block, the 'sha'ft journaled therein, ,and consequently -the; sprocket 23 may be horizontally reciprocatedQ I endless chain 24 is disposed between upper stretch is disposed. centrallyjand .result from head is secured against displacementby the application 0t. nuts 15v upon its reduced threaded extremity 16. b An arm ,17 is formedon the opposite terminal of the shaft l-i and is provided i vith a shoulder 18 form engagement against the sprocket 11. 'A disk 19 is secured for" rotation therewith; and upon the shaft 161. inthe interior of the tion. lation to the ratchet wheel 13. Pawls 20 are mounted for engagement. with the ratchet avoided.

, 1A. foot lever v contact is rod 41 to thenppen extremityof"the-arm 1 7 lever to its movement v1n e'it er v'direc-v In operation; and before thei aeroplane to take flight the desired number of bombs are'suspen chain 24: so disposed that. the lug 2Q there 0f" v is locatedat, the; front of the {frame and: proximity to the bellc ank-armor the first p bomb; releasing mechan'isn'ij; I --D iiring'- the flightof the" machine should}, the operator thereof desire 'to release a bomb, he" presses .upon the lever 39,; and owing to the connec g tion therewith of .the arm {17, said army through its movement rotates fthe shaft 14;, T disk 19, ratchet-"wheel 13,v sprocket 11,"

y and the upper stretch of the cliain-lis moved the sprocket wheels-.11 and 23, so that1ts'.

above the frame 4 and movable within-a longitudinal recess25 in the upper surfacev of the frame.

chain may, travelflbeneath the frame 1n the The lower stretch of said manner illustrated. A tripping block 26,

substantially wedge-shaped, is mounted on f' the outer surface of the cham for 'a purpose which will presently be apparent.

Formed upon the up rsurface of the main frame are in rm 'ate spaced; longitudinally extending ribs or relation with pairs of transversely extending apertures in which are mounted for shd- 'e' like 27, and side rails 28 The side rails28, and the intermediateribs 27 are provided in staggered ing-movement pins 29 having inwardly ex-' tending apertured extremitie s 3Q. Bell cranks 31 are pivotally mounted upon theupper surface 0 the main-I frame wlthgone of their arms extending transversely 'a'cross the chain 24 in thejpath of movement'of the lug 26, 'and' their other, arms connectedbymeans of links 32' to the inner extremities of the pins 29. Vertical recesses are formed in theside rails to intersect the transverse The bombs 34. are provided with directing devices 35 and apertured lugs 36 which are adapted to be seated within the vertical recesses of the side rails 28 so as to be secured therein by the pins 29f-which 'passjthrough -port the bombs; Spherical members 137 tween adjacent bombs is precluded and remature explosion of the bombs, whichjmig'htthe recesses ofsaid lugs, and thereby supgagmg .sufliciently to'cause'engagement between the bell crank 31, and the lug'26, whereby-the rod 29 is withdrawn from the aperture the 111g 36, and .thevbomb thereupon released. When the lever- 39 is released,'-and I 05 '44, the arm 17 is returned to; its former.

is returned-Lander the influence oi'the" spring position; the mechanism' is thus for. a second actuation, and upon' said. actuation the big 26' is moved, into "tion for enmeans 9.15

the second bomb re easing the op ositefside of 'the'framei Whil e'we have illustrated'a'designof our invention wherein one bomb is releasable at a time, and, wherein'the bombs are disposed at opposite sides of the frame, itlwill be obvious that the bombs maybe arran alimmcnt,-or may be made releasa leaimultaneously if desired. -Variousways ofcon- 'st'ructingpur invention occur'to 'those skilled in the art, and'wetherefore reserve the .ri ht and riViIegeof-cha'nging the form of th; details, and otherwise altering the arrangement of parts without departing v from the'spirit of the invention 'or'the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Pat'- iS:. A I 3' I a l l 1. A bomb dropping device including a frame, a plurality of releasable" bomb sue-'- pending means disposed at opposite sides of thecenter of the frame, a chain ovable centrally of the frame,f sprocket ,w eels at each endof the framenaround which the.

chain passes, a ratchet .wheel movable with one sprocket i wheel, a shaft-{for loosely supporting the said sprocket wheel-and ratchet wheel; a disk secured to the shaft, spring pressed pawls on the disk forfengaging theratchet, an arm on the con 1 ,9-, is 'pi oted' Mam has] "ltS, lower extrem ty connected by means of Curved brackets 42 are, mounted 1n: close 'r'ea lation to 'thef lever .aeanaare providediwith f adjustable .stops 43; for, engagementby said f of the frame, sprocket wheels at the forward and rear end of the frame, a chain passing around the sprocket wheels and movable centrally of the frame, means on one sprocket wheel for varying tension of the chain, means on the chain for engaging the suspending means individually and in order, to" release the bombs,la shaft for loosely supporting the other sprocket wheel,

a sleeve inte al with said sprocket wheel.

and surrounding the shaft, a casing in which the sleeve and shaft are rotatably mounted, sprocket wheel being exteriorly disposed to the casing, a ratchet wheel fixed to the sleeve and disposed interiorly of the casing, a disk secured to theshaft within the casin spring pressed pawls mounted on the for engagement with the ratchet wheel, an

arm fixed to one terminal of the shaft, and

I means for oscillating the arm whereby the chain may be moved intermittently and in one direction.

3. The combination with an aeroplane of a bomb dropping device including a frame, a plurality of releasable bomb suspending means, a flexible element movable along the frame, means on the flexible element for actuating during movement the bomb suspending means, vi'mdivi'duallyand order,

mea'ns for-imparting an intermittent mo tion to the flexible element and in one direction, a rod connected to said means, a foot ment thereof, and movable stops on the brackets engageableby the lever to limit the movement thereof, whereby the degree of movement of the flexible element may be varied. i I

In testimony whereof we aflix our signa- 1 tures in presence of two witnesses.

' -JOSEPH F, LAFLAMME.

OMER GRAVEL' Witnesses:

MICHAEL Manonnv, J. Aonmnn LAmMMn.

40 lever connected to the rod and within reach of the aeroplane operator, brackets at eitherside of the lever and inthe path of move-- 

